NSSF Bullet Points | Online News Service

May 28, 2013

Vol. 14 No. 20

This Week:

Government Relations

Federal Court Dismisses Lawsuit to Ban Traditional Ammunition

COURT AGREES WITH NSSF . . . The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit brought by the radical anti-hunting Center for Biological Diversity and six other groups demanding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ban traditional ammunition containing lead components. Traditional ammunition represents 95 percent of the U.S. market and is the staple ammunition for target shooters, hunters and law enforcement, with more than 10 billion rounds sold annually. NSSF filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit last August. The court on Thursday agreed with NSSF that EPA does not have the authority to regulate traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Read more at the NSSF Blog.

Government Relations

NEVADA 'UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS' BILL MOVES TO COMMITTEE . . . Senate Bill 221, universal background checks, was scheduled to be heard today in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Please contact your Assembly members today and tell them to oppose SB 221. The bill, which passed the state Senate last week, requires that all private party transfers be conducted through a gun dealer, absent an exemption and mandates the fee that the dealer can charge. Dealers will be forced to take time away from their customers and be saddled with enormous record-keeping and liability. Contact your Assembly members now.
ILLINOIS MAGAZINE BAN BILL MOVES TO SENATE . . . Illinois State Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-33) has sponsored a ban on all magazines having a capacity exceeding 10 rounds. The bill, SB1002, was passed out of committee on a 12-3 vote. The bill also imposes large fines and prison sentences for the possession of magazines for AR-15s and other modern sporting rifles. It now moves to the floor of the Senate. NSSF is urging everyone to call your state senator and politely oppose the bill. See the NSSF Action Alert.
CALIF. CONTINUES ASSAULT ON SECOND AMENDMENT . . . Legislators in California continue their attacks on the Second Amendment through numerous anti-gun bills. This week committees in both the House and Senate advanced bills ranging from complete bans on ALL modern sporting rifles to magazine confiscation and restrictions on ammunition. All of this legislation will cost the state more than $260 million with no effect on public safety. Continue to call your senators and Assembly members and stress that these bills will do nothing to make California safer.
B. TODD JONES' SENATE CONFIRMATION SET FOR JUNE 4 ON ATF DIRECTOR NOMINATION . . . The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a confirmation hearing June 4 on President Obama's nomination of B. Todd Jones to become the next permanent director of ATF. NSSF looks forward to hearing Mr. Jones' testimony on issues of concern to our industry.
N.Y. GUN OWNERS HEADING BACK TO ALBANY . . . Another, even better-attended demonstration is planned for New York's capital on June 11, when a hoped-for crowd of 25,000 firearms owners will express their dissatisfaction with the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act. The Shooters Committee on Political Education, in conjunction with three other groups, is organizing the rally. Outdoor writer Dick Nelson editorializes on New York's draconian legislation and the upcoming demonstration.
CUOMO TO N.Y. SHERIFFS: KEEP QUIET ABOUT GUN LAW . . . New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo invited representatives of the New York State Sheriff's Association to meet with him and discuss issues with the recently passed "SAFE Act." At least that's what the sheriffs thought the meeting would be about. But instead, according to this article in the Albany Times Union, Cuomo told the sheriffs to cease and desist expressing their wide-ranging comments in opposition to many of the law's provisions. "The governor was of the opinion that the sheriffs around the state should not be interjecting their personal opinions in reference to the law," according to one attendee. Read more on the NSSF Blog.
RUGER PRESIDENT: AYOTTE SHOWED COURAGE IN FIGHT TO ADDRESS MASS VIOLENCE . . . In New Hampshire, U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) has been targeted recently by out-of-state gun-control groups because of her vote against the failed Manchin-Toomey amendment in the Senate. The state's largest newspaper, the Union Leader, defended Sen. Ayotte last week in an excellent editorial. This week, an op-ed from Ruger President and CEO Michael Fifer also defends the senator. Writes Fifer, "Sen. Ayotte is a former prosecutor and she cares. She knows that details matter in legislation, not just clever, feel-good titles. And she knows that you have to address the root causes of problems or you will just face them again in the future. Sen. Ayotte is to be commended for taking the more difficult path, but it is the path that will make a real difference."
NEW YORK TIMES DUSTS OFF OLD DEPOSITIONS FOR THE SAME TIRED STORY . . . With the misleading headline "Gun Makers Saw No Role in Curbing Improper Sales", a story by two New York Times reporters dug through thousands of pages of depositions taken in connection with a decade-old series of liability lawsuits brought by several cities. The theme seemed to be that firearms manufacturers have yet to come around to the anti-gun Brady Center's way of thinking. We have a comment or two on the Times' way of thinking.

Industry News

INDUSTRY-AGENCY SUMMIT . . . At a gathering last week of state fish and game agency professionals and representatives from various outdoor industries, including the firearms industry and others that pay excise taxes to support the American tradition of outdoor recreation, NSSF President Steve Sanetti urged the audience to keep on telling positive stories that affect the image of outdoor recreation and to use facts that are routinely ignored by national media. Those facts are that sportsmen and women are the country's major supporters of conservation and that violent crime continues to decline while at the same time firearms ownership has significantly increased, demonstrating that responsible, law-abiding gun owners are not responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms. The first is of obvious interest to state agencies, but the latter is important as well because ownership of AR-style modern sporting rifles--the most popular rifle in America and one increasingly used for hunting--has been banned in several states. Read more at the NSSF Blog.

SHOT Show

CSG CREATIVE NAMED MARKETING AGENCY OF RECORD FOR SHOT SHOW . . . NSSF has selected CSG Creative as its agency of record for marketing the 2014 SHOT Show. CSG was selected at the conclusion of a national account review that included a number of well-known trade show marketing agencies. Based in Alexandria, Va., CSG is a strategic marketing and creative agency with unparalleled insight into event promotion, branding and strategy development. Its award-winning creative, stellar service and innovative approaches have made CSG one of the premier agencies in trade show, conference and event promotion. Read more on the SHOT Show Blog.

Tornado Relief

NSSF OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO FIREARMS RETAILERS AND SHOOTING RANGES . . . NSSF is making $100,000 available in dedicated aid for business loss or damage resulting from the tornadoes to qualifying member companies located in federally declared disaster areas, with emphasis placed on providing relief to store-front federally licensed firearm retailers and shooting ranges. Funds are available to members suffering significant financial hardship that are unable to pay for critical and immediate expenses to resume business. Applicants for relief should contact Samantha Hughes at NSSF at 203-426-1320. A "Tornado Relief Fund Application" is available online. The deadline for submitting applications for assistance is June 14.
H&H HUB OF TORNADO RELIEF EFFORTS . . . H&H Shooting Range in Oklahoma City has been coordinating multiple efforts to help tornado survivors. Owner Miles Hall says industry has stepped up big, with support being provided by Smith & Wesson, ATK, Taurus, SIG Sauer and firearm retailers from across the country. In addition, the Glenn Beck group put on a 24-hour telethon at the store that raised over $1.5 million, and 100 shooters packed 1,300 lunch bags that will be delivered to affected areas. "There is a long road ahead but it is inspiring to see how the shooting family is responding at every level," said Hall. To contribute, call Oklahoma City Salvation Army at 800-SAL-ARMY.

NSSF Members

NSSF MEMBERS: YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED . . . When it comes to NSSF membership, numbers mean a lot. As the voice of the industry, NSSF grows louder and stronger with each new member. If you, as a member, have employees and multiple locations, then the NSSF is empowered to have its voice resonate even louder in legislative chambers. For NSSF to calculate and arm itself with those numbers, however, you must provide input. Please contact Samantha Hughes, NSSF member services coordinator, at shughes@nssf.org with information on the number of people within your business and the number of locations that you operate.
NSSF VOTING MEMBER SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY . . . Employees of companies that support NSSF at the highest level can apply for educational aid through the NSSF Voting Member Scholarship Program. NSSF has made a total of $60,000 in scholarship funding available for a maximum of 25 winning entries. Applications are being accepted through 5 p.m. EDT on June 3, 2013. Scholarships are available only to employees of Voting Member companies and their family members. Applicants will submit an essay on one of two topics. Learn more at the Scholarship Program webpage. Applications are available at www.nssf.org/members. A press release also offers more details.

Retailers & Ranges

NSSF RETAILER EDUCATION SEMINARS COMING UP IN MISSOURI . . . The 2013 NSSF calendar includes a record number of free Retailer Education Seminars, and next on the schedule are seminars in the Show Me State. There, NSSF and NSSF's FFL ATF compliance consultants will be showing Federal Firearms Licensees in Missouri how to stay on top of properly filling out the 4473 form, inventory control, store security, straw purchase awareness and the NICS background-check process. The seminars are wrapped up by a question and answer session. FFLs from throughout Missouri should have received invitations and instructions on how to register for the June 18 seminar in St. Louis and the June 20 presentation in Kansas City. For further information regarding the seminars, contact Patrick Shay, NSSF director, retail development, at pshay@nssf.org.
SHOT BUSINESS: UNDERCOVER SHOPPER . . . Last spring SHOT Business Magazines' "Undercover Shooter" visited four East Texas firearms retailers in search of a good pig-hunting rifle. The focus: What do local hog hunters use, and why? Read "Hog Wild in East Texas: On the prowl for a good pig-hunting rifle" to see how these retailers fared.
GET RANGE NEWS UPDATES AT NSSF.ORG . . . The Range Report, NSSF's E-newsletter for shooting facilities, has amped up the frequency of the publication from its previous quarterly status to monthly. The shooting range community, however, doesn't have to wait a month for news updates. Almost every week day, the Range Report website features headlines from around the nation concerning shooting facilities, along with links to the full articles and television reports. Visit www.rangereport.org daily and sign up to receive the free Range Report.

News of Note

NSSF POSTER URGES WILDFIRE PREVENTION . . . With the fire outlook in the West already being called severe, NSSF is getting the jump on reminding target shooters and hunters to be cautious when using firearms in hot, dry environments and to share its fire-prevention poster with others in the outdoors community. The poster is available in two sizes--the standard 8.5 x 11 inches and a larger 11 x 17 size--and is suitable for displaying at shooting ranges, firearms retail shops and outdoor-equipment stores, as well as sharing on websites, blogs and social media sites. Read the NSSF press release for more information or visit www.nssf.org/education/PreventWildfires.cfm
KOENIG WINS HIS 15TH BIANCHI CUP . . . Doug Koenig enhanced his standing in the competitive handgunning community with a perfect score that led to his 15th Bianchi Cup and fourth in a row. In 1990, Koenig was the first to post a perfect score in the history of the competition, now known as the Midway USA & NRA Bianchi Cup. In this 35th edition, Carl Bernosky finished second and Bruce Piatt took third. Jessica Duff claimed the women's class Bianchi Cup.
SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN MINNESOTA, MICHIGAN WOLF SEASONS . . . The Minnesota Court of Appeals today dismissed a legal challenge to Minnesota's wolf harvest, reports Safari Club International, which presented convincing arguments that the Center for Biological Diversity and Howling for Wolves had failed to show that their members were harmed by the process used by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to establish the state's wolf season. In Michigan, however, that state's planned wolf hunt has hit a snag. Legislation has allowed Michigan's Department of Natural Resources to authorize a gray wolf hunt, which it has done by announcing a wolf management hunt in the Upper Peninsula for Nov. 15 through Dec. 31, 2013, but the season has been potentially put on hold. A petition from the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected that bears 255,000 signatures of state residents, enough to put a referendum on the 2014 ballot. The Detroit News reports that the season has been postponed until that referendum is held.

Jobs

FIREARMS INDUSTRY JOBS . . . Visit www.nssf.org/jobs for current employment opportunities in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. Employers: Log in to post a job opening.

NSSF's Mission

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